CitizenM Bankside Hotel

By Team IAnD

Photography: Richard Powers for Concrete; courtesy the architects

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The fourth in succession, CitizenM’s up-for-grabs offer of “luxury on a budget” recently opened doors to Banksiders in London and has swept away the World Architecture Festival Award for Hotel/Leisure for year 2013…

CitizenM is a new Dutch hotel group that aims at cutting out all hidden costs and removing all unnecessary items, in order to provide its guests a luxury feel for a budget price.

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Using prefabricated modules that are easily assembled on site; the concept hotel comes up with a room size of approx. 14 sq. m. with attached bath, providing the guests with a great bed and clean washroom.  Every room is equipped with super-king size 2.2 x 2.0 m. bed that stands in front of a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window and all possible amenities including a mini bar and storage for one’s personal belongings; wet and dry areas in the capsule bathroom; necessary connectivity accessories, auto-controls via a tablet mood pad, et al.

To create a theatrical atmosphere, the room contains diverse light-sources including a large RGB LED-string above the translucent ceiling that offers to create a signature element by changing the colour of the room. Although compact, each of the 192 rooms are prioritized thus for the guests.

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Moving from private to public spaces, guests are guided to check in at self-check in terminals and are free to either move up to their rooms or choose any of the several areas on the ground level:  environments one needs to work, socialize, relax or have a drink; each area furnished with state-of-the-art furniture, fixtures and anointed with choice artwork.

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A centrally placed courtyard creates a beautiful oasis in the heart of the hotel bringing daylight into the rooms. Complementing this are terraces on several floors that can be used for drinks, some fresh air, or a smoke, as the case maybe.

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The exteriors and interiors of the building juxtapose contextual and modernist elements: the building facade references contextually to the industrial warehouses neighbourhood being clad in sand-coloured stone panels with especially designed brickwork patterns. An aluminium framework brings on a quirky twist to the box-like building, while large glass windows on the ground floor forge a direct connect with the busy street outside.  On the inside, the décor is plush, contemporary and slightly OTT in trying to pack in as many ‘goodies’ as possible, perhaps in a justification of its lure of budget luxury.

Iconic wooden helical stairs that lead to the outd0oor break-out area, societyM on the first floor, and the compact shop-in-shop, exclusively designed as an XXL Mendo book are definite highlights.